Congressional candidate Ro Khanna joined in on a town hall for constituents in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesday, August 19, 2014. Khanna was joined by Jon Gundry, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools, and Grace Mah, Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee.

What we said: "One of the problems with modern politics is that too many candidates, especially front-runners, put their instincts and principles in escrow while their risk-averse strategists call the shots. Voters should be wary of candidates who are reluctant to subject themselves to real scrutiny." - Editorial, Aug. 21, 2014

What happened: Incumbent Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, finally stopped hedging and waffling and agreed to debate his challenger, fellow Democrat Ro Khanna, Oct. 6. It will be live-streamed on the Internet by the Huffington Post. While this is a welcome development for Silicon Valley voters in one of the state's most closely watched congressional races, we must note that Honda suggested in a pre-primary editorial board meeting with us that he would engage in multiple debates with Khanna.

Still waiting: Californians who care about education really deserve a chance to compare incumbent state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson against his reform-minded challenger, fellow Democrat Marshall Tuck, in a genuine debate. The smarmy anti-Tuck ads by the teachers union in the primary were a disservice to voters and an insult to the importance of the issue and the office. Torlakson, who now has a solid lead, must not be allowed to glide to re-election.

Speaking of big leads and disengagement, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Kamala Harris, each of whom has gubernatorial ambitions for 2018, have assumed they can simply ignore their opponents on the way to re-election. It's clear what their strategists are telling them: There is nothing to gain and everything to lose in a debate. Yet, four years from now, voters might give extra points to a politician who acknowledges that he or she is operating in a democracy.

{rdrsp}Tune in: Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown is scheduled to debate Republican challenger Neel Kashkari in Sacramento on Sept. 4 in what is almost certain to be their only televised encounter.